A Golden Day in Golden Bay

Real-time

I still have another 2-3 blogs from our time at Pakawau to do but I thought I'd post this one now to let you know it'll be my last blog for a week or so- we're moving tomorrow to an area that has limited internet so it'll be a good opportunity for me to take a wee break.....providing the weather stays warm and sunny like it has done for the last two days.

We've been parked at the NZMCA Park at Port Tarakohe in Pohara, near Takaka, for the last two days. There was a POP here the last time we passed through, although we actually stayed at the Top10 Holiday Park back along the road. The park is overlooked by old Port Golden Bay cement silos from the long abandoned cement works. 

It's a great site overlooking the harbour and Golden Bay beyond. The only problem is it's very boggy underfoot because of all the rain we've had lately. There's a patch of gravel in the centre and that's where most of the arriving vans have been parking up. Not us! We don't mind a bit of mud (and a bit of space).

I said the only problem was the boggy ground but actually that isn't quite right. There's a short-term problem on the wharf opposite; trucks are arriving on a regular basis loaded to the gunwales with huge rocks which are then dumped in a pile on the wharf- they must be for a seawall somewhere. There's a massive crash and a huge thump as they up-end the trailers which gives you a hell of a fright when you're not expecting it. And then the bulldozer moves in; scraping, pushing and tumbling them into a row. 

The best bit is that they start at 6am and don't finish until 6pm! Though I can report that after a few hours of rumbles you suddenly don't hear them anymore....until they startle you awake again the next morning. It actually doesn't worry us too much, we've got used to so many different sounds while we've been on the road, nothing fazes us now. But I bet those on limited holiday time have silently cursed them.

ETA- a local FB friend has told me that the rocks are actually being barged across the Strait to Wellington and are for use on the new Transmission Gully motorway; a 2+ year project so the noise is going to around for awhile yet!

I walked to end of the breakwater last night to catch the sunset but it had been such a brilliant blue sky day that there was nothing to write home about. I'm not complaining though, it was so nice to see the sun, and to have a bit of heat in the day. And such a peaceful way to end the day.

I checked out the Little Blue Penguin nesting boxes hidden in amongst the rocks along the way; I wasn't wanting to disturb them by scrambling about the boulders. I didn't need to. I could smell the ones that were occupied. Poo what a pong!

Since I was already awake, courtesy of the rock dumping this morning, I walked back to the end of the breakwater again to see if the sunrise was any better and to watch the fishing boats leave for the day. This one's from the mussel farm just out in the bay.

Sunrise was nothing spectacular either but it was going to be another stunning day. I waited awhile watching the sky lighten as the sun rose, hidden behind the rocky outcrop at the back of the harbour. 

And then this afternoon I took a little tiki-tour up the road, I've taken photos along this stretch of coastline during our last visit but I'm always keen to revisit places and see them in different lights and seasons. This is Tata Beach- the last time I visited here it was well before dawn, I'd come to see the Spitting Shags.

Tata Beach from the top of the road with the Port Tarakohe breakwaters in the background.

And just over the hill from Tata is beautiful Wainui Bay and the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park.  Can you see the two people exploring the sandflats. 

I headed back to camp stopping to take a photo of the 'hole in the rock' near the the harbour. And look who's taking centre stage, our happy little home 'Out There'. As a matter of interest, tomorrow, October 4th, marks our 4th year on the road, we've certainly found ourselves parked in some very interesting places. Here's the blog from that day- Shell Shocked.

And that's it for a few days, here's hoping for some good weather! See you soon.

“It’s Just A Hill, Get Over It!"

So says the Golden Bay slogan selling itself to visitors and referring to the huge Takaka Hill with the very winding road on both sides of the summit, and the only road in and out of Golden Bay. It is well worth the effort to visit Golden Bay and spend some time exploring. We’re thoroughly enjoying it so far and have had, once again, some brilliant weather while other parts of the country suffer from rain, flooding and high winds. I can't remember when we last heard rain on our roof.

Before we move further west around the large crescent of Golden Bay to Collingwood here are some random shots from around Takaka & Pohara.

We have come across a lot of abandoned Freemason Lodges on our travels, some in some very remote areas, it was obviously a very popular order in it’s day. I’m not sure if the Takaka Lodge is still used by Masons but I did see a group of ladies wearing exercise gear exiting it. I love the walkway, it’s was a built up bridge crossing the paddock. The cow and tanks look out of place to a visitor but this is at the end of the main street & seemed quite appropriate in dairy mad Takaka.

Built over 100 years ago the Telegraph Hotel has loads of character that speak of grander times but it still stands marking the entrance to Takaka township.

We took a short side trip to East Takaka where I knew there was an historic church I could add to my fast growing folders of church photos. I just have to find time to process them! An added bonus was the historic East Takaka Hall which was formerly the East Takaka School c1904. That would explain why the darn tennis court was right in front of the hall, like about a metre from the wall. There was no way to get a decent photo without the netting taking over.

The East Takaka Church c1868 was built for the Church of England but was always made available to other protestant religions too.

 

Just around the corner from our campground is the Pohara band rotunda, in a rather odd spot on the side of the road. I can understand it being on the beach and that the road etc would have probably been added around it since it was built but the beach isn’t that nice. A great big tidal flat at low tide with no sand or dunes, I wonder if the harbour breakwater as altered the beach over time, similar to Westshore in Napier. Still a nice spot to stop and rest as you walk by.

Further on past the harbour on the top of a rocky outcrop is the Abel Tasman Memorial. Abel Janszoon Tasman discovered New Zealand in 1642, he sailed his ship around Farewell Spit and into Golden Bay where he anchored. It all makes sense now, I became aware of Project Janszoon while staying at Kaiteriteri and wondered how it got it’s unusual name. Project Janszoon is a privately funded trust that works with DOC in protecting Abel Tasman Park’s native birdlife.



The view from the memorial looking back towards the marina & harbout.

I wonder how long this rustic home has stood here on a narrow finger of land in Ligar Bay where the tide laps at the bottom step on both sides of the property. Floundering would only be a matter of stepping outside the kitchen with a spear in your hand.

One last walk we wanted to do before we left Pohara was the track to Wainui Falls in the Abel Tasman National Park. We had intended to do the walk on our way home from Totaranui the other day but we got waylaid with the "motorhome off the road" crisis. A dairy farm surrounds the carpark and the first part of the track passes by the paddocks alongside the Wainui River.

It’s not long before the track disappears into beautiful native bush with tree ferns and nikau towering over us and we catch glimpses of beautiful emerald green pools as we pass gaps in the bush.

At one of the slip sites where we have to clamber over fallen rocks I hear a soft bleating and looking up high on the rock face I spot a family of wild goats; Dad, Mum & baby. The kid is just too cute, he keeps bleating and trying to get to Mum but everytime he jumps up on the rock Dad butts him down. They are so sure footed, its very steep and they jump about no problems at all. They have moved on when we come back along the track but I can still hear the baby bleating in the bush high above the track. They are very lucky nobody with a gun has spotted them yet.

A walk with two rewards! A swingbridge & a waterfall, our kind of walk. Flash floods must come roaring down this valley, all the way along the river are great piles of wood and debris including these two huge logs balanced atop a rock in the riverbed just below the swingbridge.

After clambering over a couple more large slips that had dumped whole trees into the riverbed and sidling along a narrow section of the path we could finally hear the roar of the waterfall, then around one last corner & there it was thundering into a deep pool sending spray all over us.

I can’t imagine how mighty the falls might be in full flood but I do know you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near them without getting wiped off the rocks.

Oh, It’s A Tough Life….

Takaka Hill Summit looking down to Upper Takaka & across to Golden Bay

After a slow climb up and a steady drive down the horrendously winding road over the Takaka Hill we have arrived in the beautiful Golden Bay and settled into another all but deserted, beachside holiday park, the Pohara Top 10 where we were once again told to set up camp “wherever you like”.

A quick explore along the road revealed another memory from Mum & Dads’ home movie, the one they took on their South Island tour with friends over 45 years ago (mentioned at the end of this post); the hole in the rock at Port Golden Bay. This car should be a grey & red Austin Cambridge and there should be a few arms waving out the windows as it drives by.

But there was no sign of the “long drop” (outhouse) that featured in the movie just after the hole in the rock. It had us kids in fits of giggles whenever we watched the movie. It was positioned over a big crevice in the rocks on the edge of the water and emptied into sea below. I have a feeling it was located on the rocks beside the Abel Tasman Memorial. I shall have to ask some locals.

Port Golden Bay cement silos from the long ago abandoned cement works. The road through the hole in the rock is located in the dark patch to the right of the point.

The marina at Tarakohe Harbour, Port Golden Bay.